Songs of Truth
by Kittenklaws13
Summary: Levy brings an innocent music lacrima into the guild, only for the Dragon Slayers to latch onto it for it's special abilities. Could this be their chance to find their foster parents at last?
1. Chapter 1: The Lacrima

**I'm totally blocked on the Vibrant Flame, so I'm doing this as an apology. It's my excuse for a way to showcase some songs that I wrote. It's technically a songfic, but every song is mine.**

**Disclaimer: I do not not not not not not not not not not not own Fairy Tail. I do, however own every song here.**

* * *

Levy bounced into the guild happily, her two teammates trailing after her like lost puppies. "Lu-chan, look what I got~" She announced, holding up a lacrima the colour of fresh apple cider.

"What is it?" Lucy asked. She leaned forward slightly to examine the object that had the bluenette in such a frenzy of excitement.

Levy smiled, evidently pleased to have provoked a reaction from her blonde friend. "It's a rare variant of a music lacrima; you enter a name, and it plays a song that resembles that person's personality!"

Mirajane paused in polishing the glass that she was holding. "Sounds interesting." She mused. "Any limitations on it, like, for instance, it can only be used at the full moon?"

Levy nodded. "There is one..." She hesitated. "It only works on living people. But nothing else, no."

"Test it!" Lucy suggested eagerly.

Levy frowned slightly. "With your name, Lu-chan?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, you silly! It's your lacrima, you should use it first!"

Levy nodded slowly, than gently reached out and tapped the lacrima three times. A keyboard made of light popped out above it, and she carefully typed out her name. As she punched in each letter, it appeared above the lacrima in white. Suddenly, a lively song began to play and the others members tuned in, one by one. Then, a fierce female soprano began to sing.

_I may be small,_

_I may be weak,_

_But I can stand every word,_

_Of your critique. _

_I will rise up,_

_I have my own strength._

_I will rise up,_

_You better hold me at arm's length._

_When it comes to a fight,_

_I cannot compare,_

_But when there's a puzzle,_

_Then I've got flair._

_I will rise up,_

_I have my own strength._

_I will rise up,_

_You better hold me at arm's length._

_I can figure out,_

_Whatever comes my way._

_Just try to stump me,_

_Any time, any day._

_I will rise up,_

_I have my own strength._

_I will rise up,_

_You better hold me at arm's length._

_I have the power,_

_Of pen instead of sword,_

_But don't underestimate,_

_The power of the written word._

Gajeel clapped Levy on the shoulder and she jumped in surprise, half turning to see an amused smirk on his face. "Heh. It looks like Shorty's got more steel in her than I thought. Nice little tune." He paused for a moment. "Hey, can I have a go at that thing? I want to see what happens if I enter my old man's name." The Iron Dragon Slayer stared at a point somewhere over Levy's shoulder as her made his request. Natsu and Wendy jerked slightly in their seats.

_If I could hear something that reminded me of Igneel..._ Natsu's thoughts ran wild.

Next to him, Wendy's mind was thinking along the same lines. _Maybe there will be a clue to where the dragons are in one of their songs!_

Levy nodded mechanically, not sure if there was any other response that she could make to a request like that one. Gajeel gave her a grateful look, and brushed past her. He tapped the lacrima carefully, like he wasn't sure if it would break. The keyboard popped out, and he punched in the name with absolute surety. 'Metalicana' glowed softly above the lacrima. The chords that spilled out this time were wild and furious, and the was a distinct Celtic cadence to the song. Drums kept the time, and a strong, rough bass rose above them.

_Damn this world, d__amn these chains._

_One minute longer __I'll go insane._

_I've got my brat a__t home to train,_

_Get in my way a__nd feel the pain._

_Get in my way, and prepare to die._

_You cannot escape to earth or sky._

_There's a brat that I must teach to fly,_

_So fear the Iron Dragon's cry._

_Damn this world, d__amn these chains._

_One minute longer __I'll go insane._

_I've got my brat a__t home to train,_

_Get in my way a__nd feel the pain._

_I won't be trapped, I can't be held._

_Try and to kill you I'll be compelled._

_Nobody can count the cities I've felled._

_Again and again I have rebelled._

_Damn this world, d__amn these chains._

_One minute longer __I'll go insane._

_I've got my brat a__t home to train,_

_Get in my way a__nd feel the pain._

_There is only one to which I'll bow,_

_A single king who'll I'll allow,_

_One I'll obey right here and now,_

_One to whom my brat will kowtow._

_Damn this world, d__amn these chains._

_One minute longer __I'll go insane._

_I've got my brat a__t home to train,_

_Get in my way a__nd feel the pain._

_He of chaos I will never obey,_

_He's the one who tore my brat away,_

_I will relish when comes the day,_

_I will the flesh from his bones flay._

There was a stunned silence in the guild. It was clear by the entire tone of the song that it's main focus was the 'brat' mentioned over and over. Nobody even had to wonder who the song was referencing. Gajeel clenched his fists. "Acnologia..." He hissed. "I should have guessed. That bastard child of a raven and a newt would do whatever he wanted to. He's the one who took my father? Than I'll be the one to take his life!"

"Not if I don't get there first." All eyes in the guild settled on Natsu. He was sitting with one leg crossed over the other, and he propped up his chin with his left hand. His left elbow rested on his left knee, and his right hand was fisted around his left ankle. Natsu's pink bangs shaded his eyes, but you didn't need to see them to feel the positively murderous aura around him. It was almost palpable. "What?" His tone was low and venomous. "You think that Metalicana was the only dragon he imprisoned, and that the others simply vanished into thin air? I'd be willing to bet that that kisama took Igneel as well. When I find him..." Natsu halted for a moment. "Let's just say it's not something that children should hear about." His dark tone sent shivers down the backs of everyone in the room, including Erza and Gildarts. Natsu could be frightening when he was truly angry.

"Agreed." Even Wendy had her hands in such tight fists that her knuckles were paper-white. "He deserves whatever we can do to him." Her voice shook with anger, frustration, and sadness.

"Enter Grandine." Natsu told her. "Maybe we can get a location. Or at least more information."

Wendy gave him a curt nod and walked over to the lacrima. It was noted by many of the members that Wendy, always one of the politest members of the guild didn't even take the time to ask Levy if she could use the magical crystal. She swiftly tapped the lacrima thrice, and entered her foster mother's name.

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**That's it for now! Happy Holidays! I'll freely take any suggestions. And don't forget to vote on my poll for the Vibrant Flame. It could use it!**


	2. Chapter 2: A Clue

**Hello again! Once again, I do not own Fairy Tail. But I do own every single one of the songs in this fic. **

**On an unrelated note, I recently found the best song in the history of the world. One Day Too Late, by Skillet. I love the topic, and it's well executed. **

**On yet another unrelated note, you guys are awesome. This fic has been up for FIVE days, and has gathered ELEVEN followers. That's 2.2 followers per day! But how could you be .2 of a person? Wouldn't that be uncomfortable, even if it's possible? You'd have to have an awful lot of life support. I suppose that I could say that I got 2 followers per day, With one extra. But that makes it sound as if there's one of you that I don't care about, and I love all of you guys!**

**Does anybody have a solution that will satisfy both my warm, fuzzy feels and my Inner nerd, who requires absolute precision? Anyone who does gets a song about any Fairy Tail character that they want. Except shipping songs. I don't want to step on any toes.**

* * *

The song that spilled forward this time was softer, gentler. It was accented by a flute and harp, playing in gentle harmony. But the focus of the music was to showcase the sweet mezzo-soprano voice of the woman who was singing.

_Where is my sweet hatchling,_

_Whom I love with all my heart?_

_Where is my sweet hatchling,_

_That I loved from the start?_

_I wish to hold her gently,'_

_To softly stroke her hair,_

_I wish to hold her gently,_

_And to simply lie there._

_When shall I be freed,_

_From these awful chains that bind?_

_When shall I be freed,_

_From this place where I am blind?_

_Nothing shall keep me from her,_

_The one that I love so much._

_Nothing shall keep me from her,_

_She shall have a healing touch._

_I will give her everything,_

_That I have ever known,_

_I will give her everything,_

_She shall never again be alone._

_When shall I be freed,_

_From these awful chains that bind?_

_When shall I be freed,_

_From this place where I am blind?_

_But first I must destroy the one,_

_Who usurped my king's throne,_

_But first I must destroy the one,_

_Who has chaos sown._

_I only truly wish for peace,_

_But there is one who first must die,_

_I only truly wish for peace,_

_But the Black Dragon shall fear my cry._

_When shall I be freed,_

_From these awful chains that bind?_

_When shall I be freed,_

_From this place where I am blind?_

_I must kill to bring my peace,_

_Though it is not a task I delight in._

_I must kill to bring my peace,_

_So war is over before it begins._

_Then I shall raise my hatchling,_

_The one I dearly love,_

_Then I shall raise my hatchling,_

_And soar the clouds above._

Wendy was on her knees, heaving with gigantic sobs that racked her entire body. "G-Grandine!" She wailed. "Grandine, come back! I love you too, mother!" She collapsed in a small puddle of her own tears. Natsu and Gajeel both were instantly at the side of the youngest Dragon Slayer. Charla hurried over as well, and Wendy nearly crushed the startled Exceed in a desperate hug. Gajeel laid his hand gently on top of her head, while Natsu rubbed soothing circles into her lower back.

"We'll get her back." Natsu promised. His voice was quiet, but there was an edge of steel in it that erased any doubts that he wasn't completely serious. "We'll get them all back, even if I've got to search the whole world over for each one."

Wendy looked up at him, hope shining in her eyes despite the tears falling from them. "I'll help." Gajeel informed her. "And when I find my Pops, I'll give him a neat punch to the face for leaving." He paused. "Want me to do the same to your mom?" He offered. In the Iron Dragon Slayer's mind, though he would never admit it, he considered the youngest Dragon Slayer his little sister, and anyone who hurt her was not to be forgiven. Unless, of course, she didn't mind. Even than, he'd probably find a way to 'clean it up' behind her back.

The Sky Dragon Slayer let out a shaky laugh. "N-no thank you. I just want her back..." She trailed off, staring at the wooden floor. Wendy sniffled slightly.

"We all want them back." Natsu's tone was unusually tender and soothing. "More than anything in the world. And I'd be willing to bet that they want us back more than anything as well." He stopped briefly. "Hell, I don't even need to bet that Grandine wants you back more than anything. Remember some of those lines? Where is my sweet hatchling/ Whom I love with all my heart? There's nobody else that she could be talking about, Wendy. Also: Nothing shall keep me from her/ The one I love so much. That **proves** that she wants you back more than anything. That song said it straight out."_  
_

"But it's just a song." The Sky Dragon curled up, still holding Charla. "It's just a lacrima. What if it's wrong? What if she's angry that I'm not a powerful Dragon Slayer like you two?" Wendy began to tear up again. "What if she hates me because I couldn't find her fast enough? I mean, for us it might have been seven years, but it's been fourteen for them. What if-"

Gajeel cut her off. "Stop right there!" His tone was furious. Wendy's head snapped up to stare at him. He glared at her. "Don't you dare." The Iron Dragon Slayer sounded harsh to most of the guild, but the sensitive ears of the Dragon Slayers and the Exceeds could hear how it trembled ever so slightly. "Don't you dare belittle yourself. You might not be a fighter like Salamander and I, but you're just as important as both of us combined." He drew in a deep shuddering breath. "After all, you're the one who patches us up after we get into all of our damned scrapes. If it weren't for you, we'd probably be dead by now from all the trouble that we get into. We might protect lives, but you can bring them back up to scratch. So if I hear you talking like that one more time, I'll clout you on the side of the head to make you stop." He folded his arms. "You got that, Wendy?"

Wendy gave him a watery smile and nodded. "Yes, Gajeel-san."

Gajeel scowled. "And quit with that stupid honorific. We're both Dragon Slayers and guildmates."

"Th-thank you, Gajeel!" She beamed at him.

Natsu smiled at Wendy, and Gajeel smirked. The event felt sort of unreal to the rest of the guild. The closeness between the Dragon Slayers, while no secret, was not something that they regularly demonstrated. Neither was it every day that they openly spoke about their feeling towards their dragons, Gajeel not wanting to show weakness, and for the other two it was simply a sore spot.

Suddenly, the Fire Dragon Slayer stood, breaking the fragile moment. "Well," His gaze fixed onto the amber lacrima. "I guess that it's time to check up on my father."

* * *

The whole guild inhaled sharply. As much as Wendy and Gajeel cared about their dragons, it was a well-known fact that Natsu and Igneel were the closest of all the dragon and Slayer pairs. The constantly present dragon-scale scarf wrapped around Natsu's neck was proof of that. It was the one thing that Natsu owned that he kept in pristine condition.

Natsu walked up to the lacrima and tapped it three times. Than, slowly and carefully, he entered his foster father's name. the lacrima was silent for a while. Natsu stared at it in horror. Being a Dragon Slayer, he'd definitely heard what Levy said earlier. 'It only works on living people.' _Is Igneel dead? _Natsu honestly didn't know if he could handle that. Then, more glowing letters appeared above the lacrima, and Natsu let out a sigh of relief.

_Two songs applicable in equal measure. Course of action?_

_Press A for song 1_

_Press B for song 2_

_Press C to play both songs_

Natsu turned to Levy. "What does that mean?" He asked.

"It means that it found two songs that fit Igneel very well, but it can't decide between them." Levy explained.

Natsu nodded in understanding and pressed C. A soft, mournful tune filled the guildhall. A smooth baritone began to croon softly.

_My world is crumbling,_

_As I am bound and chained,_

_Forced to watch,_

_As the ones I love are maimed._

_But at least my light,_

_Is safe and sound,_

_As long as he lives on,_

_I don't care who wears my crown._

_He brought light to the life,_

_Of a dragon ready to die,_

_He brought a smile to my face,_

_When all I wanted to do was cry._

_His spirit burns brightly,_

_More so than my own,_

_I know that he shall rise,_

_He need never be alone._

_At least my light,_

_Is safe and sound,_

_As long as he lives on,_

_I don't care who wears my crown._

_He will be slammed to earth,_

_Time and time again,_

_But he will stand once more,_

_If it is for a friend._

_His form may be fragile,_

_He may be merely human,_

_But his soul is far stronger,_

_Than many a dragon._

_At least my light,_

_Is safe and sound,_

_As long as he lives on,_

_I don't care who wears my crown._

_He shall never be bound,_

_He shall never be chained,_

_Those who dare touch his friends,_

_Will be the ones maimed._

_You cannot imprison him,  
_

_His heart spans the sky._

_It would be useless_

_Even to try._

_At least my light,_

_Is safe and sound,_

_As long as he lives on,_

_I don't care who wears my crown._

_For he is the one,_

_That carries my name._

_My pride, my joy, my dearest one..._

_Who brought summer when he came._

The song ended on a peaceful note, one of acceptance. This had not been a war song, or one of vengeance, like the others. It was more like he was handing the responsibility to his 'light'... The one that he praised throughout the song. Igneel was not thinking of getting back to Natsu, merely loving him so powerfully that nothing else, not even distance, mattered. To Metalicana and Grandine, their Slayers were clearly precious to them. To Igneel... Natsu was his 'light'. His everything.

Before the guild, or even Natsu, could fully process this, another tune struck up. This one was again slow, but it had a sense of power and majesty behind it that the others could not even compare to.

_My body is trapped in a frozen wasteland,_

_But my truths burn inside of me,_

_I know who I must bring down to earth,_

_My knowledge lets me clearly see._

_He must be destroyed by a cleansing fire,_

_And his blacked soul exposed to light._

_But we must not sink to the abyss,_

_There is fine line between wrong and right._

_My body is trapped in a frozen wasteland,_

_But my truths burn inside of me,_

_I know who I must bring down to earth,_

_My knowledge lets me clearly see._

_In the coldest place of the world entire,_

_There still a flame of hope will burn._

_The day that it goes out shall be,_

_One I hope no summer shall ever see._

_My body is trapped in a frozen wasteland,_

_But my truths burn inside of me,_

_I know who I must bring down to earth,_

_My knowledge lets me clearly see._

_The darkness will never be extinguished,_

_The fire must consume it all._

_And if it nor the others can rise to the task,_

_Then to darkness the world shall fall._

Again, it was not a war song. It was a statement of fact. Murmurs ran around the guild, wondering what it might mean. Natsu ignored them, shutting his eyes and running the lyrics over and over in his head. There was something about them that was **important.** Natsu's brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to piece the meanings of the lines together in his head.

Than, his eyes snapped open. He had it. "The coldest place in the world!" The Fire Dragon Slayer's eyes shone with excitement. "That's where Igneel is!"

The rest of the guild was startled by the apparent non sequitur. "And why do you think that?" The Master asked. His fiery brat had been disappointed so many times before, coming back dejected every time. The old man wanted there to be a solid reason before he'd let him go darting off. Especially to The Valley of Frozen Voices, where it was said sound waves froze and shattered in the air. Makarov couldn't think of a worse place for a Fire Dragon Slayer.

Natsu shifted slightly. He wasn't used to being the one who figured something out. It was really only with things relating to battle that he could use his brain properly. So he was more than a little nervous that he might have gotten something wrong in his reasoning. But at the same time he knew with ironclad certainty that he was right. "Well, it said that he hopes that the day the flame of hope is extinguished is one the he hopes no summer will ever see. My name means summer, and I can't think of any day that Igneel would want me to see less than the day he, well, dies..." He hesitated for a moment, then plunged back in. "And, so I guess that that probably means that Igneel is the 'flame of hope' the song is talking about. It said right in the song that first, he's trapped 'in a frozen wasteland'. And that has to be Igneel, there's no doubting that. So, if he's the 'flame of hope', and in the coldest place in the world, that's just taking it one step further, right?" He looked around hopefully, and there were a few mutters of agreement.

"That logic has more holes than a spaghetti strainer." Lucy deadpanned.

"But it's the only lead we've got." Gajeel folded his arms. "I'll go with Salamander. If my find his dragon, maybe he'll have information on my Pops."

"Or Grandine!" Wendy piped up hopefully. "I'll help, I can at least act as support."

Gray smirked and walked over. "Coldest place in the world, huh? Sounds like it might be interesting. And what better place for an Ice Make mage?"

"Us too!" Happy declared. "We won't leave our Slayers!" Charla and Happy nodded in agreement.

Gildarts stood up. "Chains strong enough to hold a dragon will need some work to break, and my magic is specialized for destroying things." He paused. "Besides, I want to meet the one that could raise a kid like Natsu."

Erza nodded. "I wish to meet your father as well. He has always sounded like he would be an interesting person to meet, and a fine one to know."

Natsu glanced at the last official member of his team. Lucy sighed. "Well, I suppose that somebody has to keep you out of trouble." _Besides, even if your logic stinks, things have a strange way of working out for you._

Natsu beamed at her. "I think that's everybody!"

The Master smiled at them and raised his staff. "Than off with you, brat! Tell your father hello from Fairy Tail!" A humongous cheer rose from the crowd. Natsu, at least, was probably about to find his father. It was even possible that they might find a lead on the other dragons as well. This was huge.

The dragons would finally reunite with their children. Fairy Tail would finally meet the dragons.

* * *

**I am so, so sorry for the late update. But my plot bunnies took over my mind and would not allow me to stop. Hey, at least it's longer than normal. ...Does that make up for it? Kinda, at least?**


	3. Chapter 3: Eep!

**Alright! This chapter probably won't have a song in it unless the plot bunnies run away with me again. I don't know whether to love or hate them. I have so many that I can't use them all. So much I could do with this fanfic... *Sighs* If only my thoughts could be directed into this computer so that I didn't have to type it all up. Ah, well. I'll do my best.**

* * *

Everybody in their little party was gathered in front or the guild: The Dragon Slayers, the Exceeds, Natsu's team, and Gildarts. It was a strange group, but they were determined to help Natsu get back to his foster father. They were ready to go.

"All right!" Natsu grinned and spun to face Lucy. "So? Where's the coldest place in the world?"

Lucy opened her mouth to speak, but Gray cut in. "We need to go north, idiot. That's the direction where the weather gets colder."

Natsu scowled and folded his arms. "It could be south too."

Gray gave him a patronizing look. "It gets **warmer** as you go south."

"Not if you go far enough!" Natsu retorted. "Igneel showed me maps of the world, and there's ice towards the south too!"

Gray rolled his eyes. "There's no way that it's colder there, though. It gets too much warmer."

"Actually," Lucy finally found a chance to speak. "Natsu is right. South is colder than north. The Valley of Frozen Voices is the coldest place in the world, and it's to the south." She paused. "We have two choices to get there. If we go mostly overland, than it will take about three months. If we go by boat, then it should take about three weeks."

Natsu and Gajeel both blanched at the idea of spending three weeks on a boat. "So which one should we take?" Erza asked.

"I think that Natsu should choose."Wendy suggested. "After all, it is his father."

Gajeel agreed. "Yeah, then Salamander can't gripe at anybody else if he gets impatient." _Plus, there's no freaking way that Natsu will choose the boat._

"Lets go for the three weeks." Natsu decided. Everybody stared at him.

"Natsu," Lucy hesitated. "You do realize that that's three weeks spent on a **boat**, right?"

Natsu sighed and nodded. "I got that." He grumbled. "But I want to get to Igneel as soon as I can. I know that he's alive right now, but being stuck an extremely cold place has got to be absolute torture for him. I'm not willing to let him hurt for longer because I don't like getting motion sickness."

Gildarts frowned. The Fire Dragon Slayer was clearly a bundle of nerves right now. "Shouldn't he be pretty well off?" The Crash mage questioned. "You seem pretty okay with the cold. His fire should keep him warm."

Natsu gave him a "look". "That's different. Igneel's really powerful, but being stuck there for fourteen years..." His hands balled into fists at his sides. "He's got to be nearly out of fire. That'll mean that he's still alive, but super cold. Fire dragons should never let themselves get cold. Igneel told me that once, when he was a hatchling, he tried to climb a mountain on a dare from his sister Kari. He nearly died up there. We have to get to him." The pinkette gritted his teeth. "I just found out where he is. There's no way that I'm going to let myself lose him again!" The Fire Dragon Slayer glared around at all of them, as if daring them to tell him no.

Lucy gave him a worried look. "But doesn't your magic change parts of your body to gain the characteristics of a dragon? Doesn't that mean that it'd be bad for you there as well?"

"Probably." Natsu admitted sheepishly. "But there's no way that you're leaving me behind here. I need to see Igneel again."

Gajeel folded his arms. "Oi. If it's as bad as you say that it is, then you can wait."

Erza nodded slowly. "Perhaps you should stay. I'm certain that we can convince him to come back to you. If it's not safe..."

"Either you let me come with you or I find a way there on my own." Natsu's tone made it clear that he meant what he said. That made them give in. The thought of Natsu trying to get there on his own was something that they knew would not end well. Natsu gave a victorious grin. _I'm coming for you, Father._

* * *

Three weeks later, Lucy dragged a moaning Natsu onto the shore, where he immediately revived. Erza was rougher with Gajeel, so it took him a little longer to recover. Once they were assembled properly, they started off. Everyone except the Fire Dragon Slayer had bundled up, including the Exceeds. Instead of a coat, Natsu had formed a thin sheet of flame around himself as a protection.

They trudged along through the snow. The temperature steadily dropped to the point where Gray didn't dare to strip, and Erza had to draw on her extradimensional storage space to bring out more warm clothes for everyone. Lucy summoned Horologium, and directed them from inside there. They were making steady progress.

Lucy noticed that Natsu was getting a hazy look in his eyes, and he stumbled slightly. He quickly regained his footing, but it was enough for Lucy to be concerned. Natsu, despite not being known as a particularly graceful person, rarely stumbled.

"'Natsu, are you okay?' She asks."

Natsu glanced at her. "I'm okay." He muttered. "I can keep going."

The exchange made Erza stop and study him. The Fire Dragon Slayer looked like he was in pain. He was clearly trying to hide it, but it was equally clearly there. "You should put something on." She decided.

"No." Natsu shook his head. "Your sweaters aren't fireproof like my clothes, and I need my fire." There was something about the way he said it that made the others look at him askance.

"Why do you say that?" Gildarts cocked his head to the side. "The rest of us are managing with coats and such."

"Because if I put it out, I won't be able to reignite it here. Igneel's gonna need something to eat to help him along. Fourteen years here must have his fire really low, like I said. He'll need more."

Gray looked at Natsu carefully. Even if he was a little dense, Natsu rarely repeated himself. He knew that even if he could be slow, other people didn't need the repetition. Him having done so meant that he was more than a little fuzzy in the head. But he made a good point.

Gildarts sighed. "Alright, alright. But you're putting something on once they're gone. Got it?"

Natsu managed a nod, and continued to forge ahead through the snow. He nearly tripped a few minutes later, and really tripped about half an hour later. He shoved himself back to his feet, grimacing. Nobody helped him because of the fiery coating, but everybody stopped to wait for him. It was extremely obvious that he was running on willpower.

Wendy took a timid step forward. "C-can I help?"

Natsu blinked in confusion. "With what?"

She shuffled her feet. "You look like you're in pain. I-I might be able to help somehow?"

He shook his head. "Sorry, Wendy. This is a problem between my magic and the weather. Thanks for offering, though." He cracked a smile. "Come on, I can almost..." Natsu tipped his head backwards, and grinned. "...I** can** smell him. Let's go."

The others stared at him. _How can he smell __**anything?**_ The other two Slayers and the Exceeds thought in shock. _Our noses are frozen! _

But the Fire Dragon Slayer had somehow caught a scent, and he moved with more energy now, actually leading the group now instead of lagging behind. Than he stopped and glowered at something.

"What is it?" Gildarts asked. In answer, Natsu drew his fist back and thrust it forward. It slammed into something that the group couldn't see with a solid _t__hunk._

"A barrier?" Erza wondered.

"No." Gray's tone was quiet. "From here on, the air is frozen solid."

"How are we going to-" Wendy was cut off by a spike in the temperature. It was several degrees higher now. Not above freezing, but compared to the gelid temperature of a moment earlier it was relieving.

They turned to see Natsu's fire flaring around him in semi-random bursts, and an expression on pure, unadulterated wrath on his face. "**Nothing** is going to get in the way of my seeing Igneel again." He snarled.

The rest of the group, including Gildarts and Erza, shared a moment of agreement that Natsu could be freakishly strong when he was angry.

Despite the fact that they were getting closer and closer to the Valley of Frozen Voices, the temperature kept rising at about a degree or two every minute, courtesy of the flames growing ever fiercer around Natsu.

Then, maybe half an hour later, Natsu halted. His fire licked up for several feet above and around him. It exuded a powerful degree of heat that made it so that his companions had discarded most of their outer layers and actually had to stay quite a distance away to avoid getting burnt. The snow around him melted deeply, but wasn't strong enough to destroy the permafrost.

All of them except the Fire Dragon Slayer stared in awe. In front of them was a dragon at least half again as big as Acnologia. His scales were a deep vermilion, with a creamy yellow underbelly. He was coated in an impressive array of scars, from nicks an inch long to ten-foot gashes. The Dragon of the Apocalypse had looked clean and new, where this one looked older than Zonia Mountain. His wings were ragged and worn, as were his scales. If Acnologia had been intimidating when angry, this dragon would be many times more so, even chained deeply into the ground as he was. There were thick bands of a silvery metal that even Gajeel didn't recognize around his wings, and each of his six legs as well as his tail. The ones around the legs and the tail led down to enormous chains, again of the silverlike material.

This was the dragon who had raised Natsu? It was hard to believe. But they only had to take a look at Natsu' determination to get here, His strength in battle, his uncompromising loyalty.

This was, beyond a doubt, Igneel.

Natsu raised his arms and started to pull his flames inward, gathering them into a tight ball of blazing intensity. It didn't lose any of it's heat in the process, but they quickly put their coverings back on. They didn't want to freeze when Igneel ate the fire. Natsu held it out.

A forked red tongue flickered in and out, devouring it quickly. As expected, there was a drastic drop in temperature. Most of them were fine with this because they'd donned more warm clothing. But Natsu collapsed completely, a look of agony crossing his face before his legs crumpled underneath him.

This jolted the dragon to wakefulness, and Igneel's eyes snapped open, focusing instantly on the unconscious pinkette in front of him. A clawed foot flashed forward with surprising speed. before anyone could react, Igneel had pulled Natsu in, tucking his Slayer gently under his wing.

"My silly little pyromaniac." He murmured. "Your flames have gotten so much stronger. But you are still an idiot for coming here." In the fire dragon's eyes was a tenderness that solidified their certainty that this was the dragon, and took away their fear of him. But it returned an instant later when he noticed us. His eyes hardened to golden globes. "Who are you?" He hissed. "And why are you with my son?"

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**Yeah, no song. Sorry. I most certainly do not apologize for the cliffhanger, though. Have fun reviewing~**


	4. Chapter 4: Freedom

**Wow. Just- Wow. I have 27 followers on this story. And 14 favorites. *Tears of joy* ****_I never ever ever imagined this! You guys- Thank you so much! _*****Ahem* I tend to get a little emotional over people liking my work. It's always just a little unreal to me that, out of 25.3 K Fairy Tail stories, mine could even be noticed, much less_ liked._ I plan to be an author someday, so this is extremely encouraging. By the way, I found a short song that fits Fairy Tail perfectly. Each Other by Skillet. Go listen to it!**

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Surprisingly, it was Wendy who stepped up to the large dragon. She immediately dropped into a deep curtsy. "Igneel-sama, we're Natsu's guildmates. I'm-"

"Stand up!" The touchy Fire Dragon snapped. Wendy stood, looking up at him in shock. "I can't stand that stupid human behavior, and I find it abhorrent that a Dragon Slayer has picked it up. Don't look so surprised, I can smell it on you. You too, piercing weirdo. Don't either of you dare to bow or scrape or all that rot. You were raised by dragons, so you ought to have the pride of one." Igneel paused. "Now, continue explaining. Without all of the goddamned formalities."

All of them were rather lost for words now. If he'd raised Natsu with that as a value... _Well, at least it explains why Natsu is so dismissive of authority._ Wendy gulped slightly, but once again she was the one to break the silence. "I-Igneel, we're members of Natsu's guild. Fairy Tail."

Igneel raised a scaly eyebrow. "Really? How's Mavis doing? Last I heard, she was still on that island of her's. Tenrou, I think that it was called."

Wendy shuffled her feet._ What should I say?_ She worried._ It looks like he has no sense of time! I can't just tell him that-_

"She's dead." Gajeel's tone was blunt. "Centuries ago. You out of touch with reality or something?"

Igneel snorted. "Cheeky brat, aren't you? Much better than the stench of fear. I know that she's dead. But I'm one of the two who helped her bind her spirit to Earthland, so that she'll stay as long as there's somebody who bears her guild mark. It was her last wish. So. Is she still wasting herself in the middle of the ocean, or actually making herself useful?"

In an instant, Erza had her sword out and pointed at Igneel. "I don't care if you're a dragon, a human, or a dancing bear, **I won't let you insult our guild.**" She growled. "Take back what you said about the First. Now."

A smile curled on Igneel's face. "Good. Anger is better than fear. I can say what I want, Mavis is one of my closest friends." He paused. "And I severely doubt that a dancing bear would have the ability to insult your guild, unless you utilized an outside source of magic on it. I personally think that if you did that, it would have a right to complain. In fact, it should probably complain simply for being made to dance. After all, even animals have their pride." They all sweatdropped. _That's what he chose to focus on?_

"How close?" Lucy challenged. "That's a fairly serious insult."_  
_

"I consider her a little sister. I am allowed to talk about my sibs any way I wish." Igneel paused. "Now. Pretty much all that I know about you is that you are presumably all from Fairy Tail and that there are two Dragons Slayers in your group. This is what I want to know: Your full names, your magic, and from the Dragon Slayers, their parent. Begin."

Erza opened her mouth to protest at his tone, but Gajeel clamped a hand over it. "Don't offend him, Titania. Salamander's father is damned big, and I can't sense a drop of magic from him. The larger the dragon, usually the more power they've got. So if I can't sense anything, then he's got a tight leash on it." The Iron Dragon Slayer studied Erza for a moment, then dropped his hand. _Good. Now she won't do anything stupid._ He glanced up at the large red dragon, then began. "I'm Gajeel Redfox, Iron Dragon Slayer. My pops is Metalicana."

Igneel nodded slowly. "Interesting." He mused. "So that old pile of scrap metal took the time to raise a kid. And before you tell me off again, I have literally known him since the day he was born. I found his egg and sat next to it until it hatched. I have guarded his back hundreds of times, and he's guarded mine. So I think we're close enough that I can call him anything that I want." There was a short, stunned silence.

Wendy shifted slightly. "I-I'm Wendy Marvell-"

"Say no more." Igneel chuckled. "Grandine, I'd think that your child would be a little less nervous, hmm? The daughter of the strongest of the Sky Dragons needs a little more confidence. Raise your head, I don't bite. Well, not children at least."

Wendy gasped. "Grandine was that strong?"

"Nope." Wendy's face fell._ So he was just teasing me. _"She **is** that strong, last time that I checked. Nasty temper too. Just with me, though. With everyone else she's kind and sweet. But when I accidentally knock over a rack of potions, she whacks me with her tail so hard that it bruises. She really should change her name to Grenade."

Wendy let out a surprised giggle. Lucy stepped forward. "I am Lucy Heartfilia, Celestial Spirit Mage."

"I am Erza Scarlet, Requip Mage and S-class wizard of Fairy Tail."

"Gray Fullbuster, Ice Make Mage."

"I'm Gildarts Clive, Crash Mage and the Ace of Fairy Tail."

Igneel tilted his head slightly. "And who are you?" He addressed the Exceeds, much to their surprise. They had honestly been hoping that The Fire Dragon would assume that they were just cats.

"I'm Happy!" The blue Exceed raised his paw.

"I am Charle."

"My name is Pantherlily. Call me Lily."

Igneel chuckled lightly. "I've heard of Tiger Lilies, but not Panther Lilies." He teased. "What is this, the bud before it blooms?"

"I have heard that joke far too many times!" The brown Exceed snapped. Then he froze when he realized who he was talking to.

Igneel sighed. "Ah, sorry, Lily. I couldn't help myself. It's so **boring** here. I could talk to myself, but that seems a bit stupid to me." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "So, why are you here? I could understand my son finding something and coming here, being as loyal as he is. But there are two things here that I am curious about. First: Why are you here? If you are good friends of my son, that would explain it. But that leads me to the second thing: If you're his friends, why in all hells did you let him come?"

"Well," Lucy hesitated. "You're right on the first one. As for the second..." She sighed. "This is a direct quote:'Either you let me come with you or I find a way there on my own.' And that would not have been good. At all."

Igneel groaned. "Stubborn pyro." He muttered. "You're a real idiot, you know that?"

"Speaking of Natsu..." Wendy glanced at the wing said Fire Dragon Slayer was curled up underneath. "...Is he okay? He hasn't moved in a while."

"He'll be fine. As long as you get him out of this hellish place. But you'll need to do do it fast, and keep him very warm. He gave me as much of his magical power as he possibly could. The boy isn't stupid, he just never thinks ahead..." The Fire Dragon shook his head in exasperation. "He's a tough brat, though. The boy can survive things that shock even me. Sheesh. They say that willpower can do anything, but this boy takes it to an extreme." He bent his head down to his wing. "Wake up!" Igneel snapped. "Oi! I know that you drained yourself, but where's your spirit? Get up!"

They were all shocked by Igneel's rough approach._ Natsu's exhausted! Shouldn't he go easier on Natsu?_

Then, further surprising them, Natsu stirred slightly. "Hey Dad." He mumbled. "Good. I got here. Can we go home together now?"

"No." Igneel's answer was curt. "My chains are made of adamantine. Even I can't break that. I'd be able to if I was at full strength, but I was brought here injured and nearly drained of magic. And now? Certainly not. Not even with your fire. I've been living off of the flow of the magic around me for years, and you know that's an exhausting technique. So I am going to have to stay here, and you are going home."

"Nope. Not leaving without you." Natsu burrowed a little deeper under Igneel's wing. "Gildarts is a really strong Crash Mage. He can get you out."

Igneel hissed through his teeth. "Look here you little piece of green wood, I have tried my best. I doubt that your friend can do better. And even if he can, by then you will likely be dead from the cold. So get out of here!"

"Shaddup." Natsu muttered. "You're warm. And I know you'll keep me safe. Gildarts can do it, and the others can help. It might take a while, but I don't care. There's no way I'm leaving you right when I found you again. So stop trying. You said once that I was probably part troll, 'cause my head was full of stubborn rocks. See? Even you think that I don't give up easy." With that, he buried himself deeply into the leathery folds of Igneel's wing.

The Fire Dragon snarled at him. "Alright, be a wyvern-brain! You had better hope that they're as good as your faith." He glanced at the others and heaved an irritated sigh. "Alright, let's see what you can do."

Gildarts nodded. He walked forward and placed a hand onto the front right chain. He closed his eyes, and focused his magical power into it. _I have to do this. It's for Natsu's sake. He's done so many things for this guild, the least that we can do is give him back his father. _The material cracked, then shattered in a spray of silver shards to reveal a pale, scarred circle of scales. It was obvious that he'd struggled desperately against the chains as often as he could summon the strength.

Igneel stared. "Not bad." He approved. "If you can break four more of the ones on my legs as well as the bands on my wings, I should be able to shatter the last two myself."

The Crash Mage nodded. "I think that I can do three more. That stuff is seriously tough."

"I'll try eating them." Gajeel volunteered.

"I will do my best to break one." Erza spoke up.

"The rest of us can try to break the last one." Gray decided.

They worked as hard as they possibly could. Gildarts swiftly broke a second one, and had to struggle harder with the second one. Gajeel chomped his way into a wing band as fast as he could. He had to create iron pillars and throw them away from himself to let off the excess magical energy. Erza requipped Armadura Fairy and sliced her way farther and farther into the shining metal of the leg cuff. Lucy summoned Taurus, and Leo came on his own. Gray used his Ice Make magic to create duel ice swords to shred the wing band. Even Pantherlily switched into his battle form to help, surprising the hell out of Igneel. Wendy focused her support magic on all of them.

* * *

Gildarts finally destroyed the fourth band that he'd attacked. Gajeel sat back with a groan, and made a mental note to take some of this back with him. It sent him into Dragon Force, and the scales were now fading from his face. Erza felt a crack, and drew back as the cuff crumbled. Taurus's axe sliced through the band at last. Wendy fell to her knees as she ended her spells, gasping for air. Igneel rose to his feet, keeping his Dragon Slayer curled tightly inside his wing.

"Everyone away." He ordered. The others scattered obediently. The large dragon heaved himself forward, snapping the remaining two chains with a respectable amount of effort. Then, he flicked a claw inside his wing and dragged Natsu out, gently placing the Fire Dragon Slayer on his back. He glanced downward. "Up."He flicked his tail in emphasis. The Dragon Slayers caught on quickly and climbed up by way of his tail the others climbed on more reluctantly.

The dragon stretched his wings, letting muscles long left alone complain as much as they wanted to. They moved up and down a few times, and all but the Dragon Slayers clung nervously to the spines on his back. Feeling the abnormally heated flesh ripple beneath them was entirely disconcerting. Gajeel held on to Natsu, making sure that he wouldn't fall off.

Then, girly screams echoed across the landscape as the fire dragon took off, once more reveling in the feeling of the wind passing smoothly beneath his wings.

Igneel was free once more.

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**Eek! Don't kill me, blame the plot bunnies! I couldn't give you an incomplete chapter, now could I? Well I could, but it wouldn't feel right. Please don't hurt me!**


	5. Chapter 5: Rest

**I have an announcement. I'm sorry, but from this chapter onward, I will no longer send personal alerts. I love all of you guys, but _32_ followers are on here now. And because of the function that makes sure that there is no spamming, I have to come up with 32 different messages, type them up, and send. Sorry, I'm dedicated but not that dedicated.**

**This is not in _any_ way saying that I don't like one or any of you. I'm just a little too short on time to send everyone their own alerts.**

**Now, on with the story!**

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Igneel had been flying for about an hour, simply enjoying the feel of the wind against his scales. He honestly didn't know what direction he was supposed to be going, he was just trying to get out of the cold as fast as he could. Now, everything was working properly, nothing was numb anymore, and the air around him was a pleasant temperature.

"So, what direction should we be going?" The six passengers who were not either motion sick or passed out facepalmed at Igneel's nonchalant tone.

"Well," Gildarts paused. "This is the right one. If you didn't know that, why did you go this way?"

"I liked the way this direction smelled. Also it was warmer this way." Now they knew why Natsu was so scatterbrained and impulsive. His father was even more so. Even Natsu wouldn't spend an hour going in a random direction because he liked how it smelled. Then again... there was that noodle incident. Natsu had been really hungry.

Their thoughts were interrupted by a soft groan from a certain pinkette who was slowly regaining consciousness. Gajeel immediately shoved Natsu off of him.

"Don't do that!" Happy yelped. "He'll get motion sick and fall off!"

Natsu let out a small laugh as he sat up, quickly recovering from being knocked out from lack of magical power. "Happy, Dragon Slayers don't get motion sick on dragonback. I like it, actually. Igneel is a really good flier!" He cheered. _Huh. Slayers don't get motion sick on dragons, but something still smells sour. Wonder what it is..._Than he glanced behind himself and burst out in a giggle fit. "S-seriously?!"

Gray groaned. "S-shut up flamebrain..." Because the fact of the matter was that the motion sick ones were, for once, not the Dragon Slayers, but Lucy, Gray, and Erza. The poor mages had no experience with flight, and they were severely nauseous. The Exceeds were fine for obvious reasons. The Dragon Slayers loved the feeling of being high in the sky. Gildarts had always been the kind of person who enjoys anything new, and adapted quickly to flight.

Natsu laughed until tears of mirth were running down his face. This was just too funny for him! Revenge is very sweet when your friends have been, respectively, giggling about his problem, _teasing_ him about it, and _knocking him out by punching him in the stomach_ to help him deal with it. And now they had to deal with it! But something was off... "Hey Wendy, why haven't you cast Troia on them?"

"Because." Igneel answered for her. "They compared flying on dragonback with being on an out of control yo-yo. Neither of us is pleased with that, so they shall be left to suffer. I think that this is a reasonable punishment for their insolence. Agreed?"

"No." Natsu narrowed his eyes at his team. "They compared you to a _toy__. _I think that we should show them some of the awesome tricks that you can do. That should teach them!" Natsu grinned, secure in the knowledge that his foster-father would agree with him. And enjoy showing off at the same time. He felt the familiar sensation of Igneel's wing muscles bunching underneath him as the Fire Dragon prepared for one of his favorite tricks.

Suddenly, he swooped into a dive, slamming his wings out at the last moment to glide above the water. Natsu whooped in laughter, Gildarts and the other Dragon Slayers froze in shock, the Exceeds braced themselves, and the other three desperately tried to hold in their lunch. They knew that it would not go well if they vomited on a dragon's scales. They also silently vowed revenge on a certain smug Dragon Slayer.

Their flight path curved upward... And over... And in a complete loop. Everyone except the Exceeds and Natsu grabbed onto some of Igneel's scales to hold on. Gray, Lucy, and Erza took this as a convenient time to rid themselves of their stomach's contents.

Then, to their utter relief, Igneel paused, hovering. Then he began to fly, slowly, over to a nearby island. "What's wrong Igneel?" Natsu asked in worry.

"I'm tired." Igneel grumbled. "I can't scent any humans here, it's big enough that I can take a proper nap on the beach, and I was flying for about an hour before you woke up. I seriously need a rest. If you are a nuisance about stopping for the night, then I will knock you out again so that I can sleep. Same goes for any of you."

Surprisingly, Natsu obeyed. He went quiet and sprawled himself out against Igneel's scales.

Due to the clear air, it turned out that the nearby island was not as nearby as they had thought. It took Igneel five minutes to get there, and another to right himself so that he could land, if not gracefully, without injuring anybody.

The motion sick passengers jumped off, Erza gracefully requipping into her flight armor on the way down. Gray yelled "Ice Make: Slide!" And lo, a slide appeared, letting him reach the soft sand safely. As for Lucy... Leo popped out of nowhere and caught her.

"You mustn't do such reckless things, dearest Lucy. I could not stand to see a single perfect hair on your beautiful head harmed in the very slightest." The lion spirit's tone was pleading.

Igneel made a very rude noise.

Startled, Leo spun around. His jaw dropped. "What on Earthland?!" He exclaimed.

Natsu gave a bright laugh as he slid down Igneel's tail. "Hey, Loke! This is my dad!" The hyperactive Dragon Slayer grinned at the bewildered Celestial Spirit. "Remember, I was looking for him for so long! And I found him! I _found_ him, Loke!"

Even though Leo was still rather shocked, the pinkette's joy was infectious. Leo knew how long Natsu had wished to see Igneel again, how urgent a need it had always been for him. Despite that he had vanished years ago, the Dragon Slayer's love for his foster-father had never dimmed. And now that he was a little calmer, he could see how deeply it was reciprocated.

The Fire Dragon's stance was indifferent, but in his eyes there was a love that ran many times deeper than most bonds Leo had seen between actual blood relations.

The lion spirit gave a slight bow. "It is an honor-"

"Oi. Stop that." Igneel's sharp tone made the lion spirit look up in surprise.

"S-stop what?" Leo stuttered. It looked like he had just annoyed a rather large dragon. And he couldn't just duck back to the Spirit World for a line of retreat because Lucy was purposely blocking his way. She wanted him to meet Natsu's father. He'd wanted to meet Igneel for a while too... It was just that he'd never expected him to be so intimidating. Natsu spoke about him like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"All of that pretty-boy formality. You are a Celestial Spirit. Leo if I had to guess. The Lion. Aren't lions notorious for their bravery and pride? Hell, a group of lions is _called_ a pride. So don't be a suck-up. I find that kind of person to be pathetic and annoying. I would rather have somebody say honestly that meeting me was a waste of their time and that they needed to be elsewhere than to be showered in sickly-sweet _politic _words." The Fire Dragon said the word "politic" like it was a piece of raw meat that had been left to rot. "Truth is one thing that I prize. I would rather be called honest than easy to get along with. So. What are you really thinking about meeting me?"

The words left Leo's mouth before he intended them too. "That you are much scarier than Natsu said that you were. And that he _never_ said that that you were a freakin' behemoth."

Igneel gave a nod of acknowledgement to Leo. "I can understand why Natsu would not particularly mention those things. He lived with me for many years, so I doubt that my size is impressive to him anymore. As for being scary, my son doesn't like to admit such things."

Erza sighed. "That is true. And..." She paused. "Is he asleep?" Yes, Natsu had fallen asleep on Igneel's tail. It was rather cute. He had snuggled up next to it, and tucked himself into a little ball.

Igneel shook his head in exasperation. "He's just recovering from spending his magic. I was startled that he was able to wake up, even for just a few minutes, so soon. But I suppose that's my little pyro. Always overdoing things." He gently curled his tail inwards so that Natsu was at the epicenter of a warm, scaly coil. Then he rested his wing on top, and curled the rest of himself around it. "Go explore the island. I want to stay here for a while."

The obvious subtext _with Natsu _did not go unnoticed. They exchanged amused looks. Those two were strange. So close to each other's hearts, and so reluctant to show anyone else how far that went. But they obeyed. None of them wanted an upset Fire Dragon on their hands.

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**Late updates are already becoming routine! Maybe I should just say that the update day is Monday and leave it at that... Also, there is a very important poll on my profile that will be up until the end of January. Depending on which way the wind blows, it could drastically change this story. I suggest that you take a look.**


	6. Chapter 6: Surprise

**I have no idea what I am going to do in this chapter, so I'm just going to start writing and go with whatever I come up with.**

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Igneel quietly watched his Dragon Slayer sleep. The boy was relaxed gently against his scales, not moving much. The dragon appreciated these peaceful times with his Dragon Slayer more than any others. They were rare, true. But when they came both of them were calm in the certainty that they were together, and therefore nothing else mattered very much.

Natsu wriggled slightly, then stilled. A soft sigh came out through his mouth. That was something Igneel occasionally wondered about. Natsu's breathing pattern when he was sleeping was... unusual. He would breathe in through his nose, stop for approximately six seconds, then sigh out through his mouth. Asking wouldn't do any good, sleep patterns were unconscious. But it interested Igneel. He liked to think that his Dragon Slayer was extra special. He also knew that saying that to Natsu would be met with confusion, as Igneel was most definitely not a mushy dragon.

A noise of discomfort was made as Natsu shifted his position, and the Fire Dragon raised his body temperature slightly. As expected, his son calmed considerably. One thing that Igneel knew about Fire element dragons and slayers was that because of their high body temperature, it was hard for them to get a level of warmth around them that let them sleep deeply.

Than, Natsu yawned. Igneel was fairly certain that this time, Natsu would stay awake for a while. It had been six more hours, so his magic should be somewhat replenished.

"Hey." Igneel kept his tone low so that Natsu wouldn't be startled awake too fast. "Are you feeling better now? You've been out for a while."

Natsu blinked sleepily. Something that the Fire Dragon found adorable about his son was that it was hard for him to wake up quickly unless there was a true threat. "M'okay." He mumbled. "What time is it? The stars are out, so it's night..."

Igneel chuckled. "Remember the astronomy lessons that I gave to you. You tell me."

Natsu frowned slightly. It had been a long time since he'd tried to tell time by the stars, but he thought that he still knew a little. "It's... around three A.M.?" His tone was confused. "I was out that long?"

Igneel shook his head. "No, my little pyro. It's close to midnight. But if we were back in the cave, yes, it would be three. You have to account for the fact that we've changed latitude and longitude." He smiled slightly. "But it's good to see that you still know that much. I suppose that it was an unfair thing to ask, considering that you were out for most of the flight and so didn't know where we are. Good job, my little pyro."

Natsu gave him a half-awake smile. He liked it when his father said that he had done something right. It made his insides warm up like he'd just eaten fire. Igneel rarely gave praise, and never when it wasn't deserved. So it was a very special thing for Natsu.

"Now." Igneel paused. "Can you still sing?"

_That_ woke Natsu up. "D-dad!"

His father tilted his head to the side. "Seriously? Are you embarrassed about singing now?"

"...A little. Plus, even if you think I'm good, Gajeel says that Metalicana said that he was good, and his singing tortures my ears. What if you just have weird taste?" The Fire Dragon Slayer looked at his feet. "What if I'm actually really bad like he is?"

Igneel normally would have thwacked Natsu for being so impudent, but something in his son's expression told him... to do it a little differently this time.

Natsu was knocked to the ground hard by the Fire Dragon's powerful tail, hitting the ground with a dull thud. "Have you forgotten so much of what I've taught you?" He demanded. "If you have something about you that is different that others might not like, take pride in it anyway! If you don't think that you do it well, than work at it! A world where everyone was the same is not one that we should try for! It would be boring, no matter the personality if everyone was like that! So fuck to what other people think, I like how you sing, and as long as you like it too I see no reason for you not to. So don't be a goddamned idiot."

Natsu looked up at him, and a smile appeared. "Thanks, dad. I needed that." He pushed the heavy tail tip off of himself,and stood.

"So now that's over with..." A wicked glint danced in Igneel's eyes. "Can you still sing?"

The Fire Dragon Slayer grinned up at his father. He knew that Igneel wouldn't be satisfied until he was certain that his son had learned his lesson. So he opened his mouth and began to sing.

_There is more to everything,_

_Than you or I could see,_

_But there are some among those things, _

_I cherish most deeply._

_Fire is more than destruction,_

_Honor runs deeper than words,_

_Pride should not be counted as sin,_

_Family's more than blood-bound kin._

_Fire may have powerful wrath,_

_Quick to anger and fight,_

_But battle is not it's everything,_

_That won't ever be right._

_For all the fingers they may burn,_

_Campfires keep you warm at night,_

_To keep those at sea away from shore,_

_Beacons are filled with light._

_Fire lives and flame breathes,_

_It's alive as much as you or I,_

_It only destroys in need to eat,_

_See fire's beauty if you try._

_Fire is more than destruction,_

_Honor runs deeper than words,_

_Pride should not be counted as sin,_

_Family's more than blood-bound kin._

At this point, Igneel noted that Gildarts, Wendy and Lucy had come back. He could smell them, though they were hiding in some annoyingly strongly scented bushes. However, he chose not to alert Natsu to their presence. His son was already so caught up in the song that he was oblivious to the outside world. All of Natsu's concentration was focused on the the weaving melody that held his friends in awe. And that was how Igneel liked his little pyro to sing, with his whole heart and soul in the song.

_A promise isn't honor in itself,_

_In the keeping is where honor lies,_

_And if you cannot keep the word that you give,_

_Make sure at least you tried._

_Honor's not in keeping secrets,_

_Or engraving them in your heart,_

_But to show your darkness without shame,_

_That will be the start._

_It's not a thing that stands alone,_

_But is twined with trust and betrayal,_

_Vows made, than broken or kept for time,_

_Honor is not a place but a trail._

Gray and the Exceeds had also been enthralled by this time. Gray was in shock. _I never knew that Natsu could sing! And he's damned good at it too. Why the hell hasn't Flamebrain ever told us that he could sing? We've been listening to Gajeel sing when we could have listened to this?_

_...I am going to beat Natsu to a pulp for this._ But for the moment, the Ice Make mage just sat in the bushes and listened intently. After all, interrupting this song would be a crime.

_Fire is more than destruction,_

_Honor runs deeper than words,_

_Pride should not be counted as sin,_

_Family's more than blood-bound kin._

_Pride's the feeling when you know,_

_That something has truly gone right,_

_Whether it's placed in you or one you care for,_

_Pride's not of darkness but of light._

_Take pride in what you love doing,_

_Take pride in what you do well,_

_There should be reason for pride in all that you do,_

_If your spirit never fell._

_Pride is in how people are,_

_Sometimes outside but mostly in,_

_You, your friends and your dearest ones,_

_Take pride in all of them._

Now Erza and Gajeel had joined the hidden audience. Even the Iron Dragon Slayer had to reluctantly admit that Natsu was a skilled singer. It was a bit... strange to think about, though. Natsu was a fighter, and a very active person. Him doing something relatively calm, like singing, was an alien concept. The song fit his personality, though. It was a powerful melody, that had no subtleness to it. It was filled with honest emotion, not complicated notes.

_Fire is more than destruction,_

_Honor runs deeper than words,_

_Pride should not be counted as sin,_

_Family's more than blood-bound kin._

_Blood is nothing as a bond,_

_It shatters as easily as glass,_

_But when you bind a person into your heart,_

_That shall eternal last._

_Kin is a word filled with treachery,_

_Shared ancestors are nothing to trust,_

_Blood may be a place to start your time,_

_But tighten that tie you must._

_Relation does not matter to me,_

_My family's in those that I love,_

_I don't care we share no blood ties,_

_They are my treasure trove._

_Fire is more than destruction,_

_Honor runs deeper than words,_

_Pride should not be counted as sin,_

_Family's more than blood-bound kin._

_Feelings are stronger than steel,_

_Passion more important than chance,_

_People should be prized above possessions,_

_In the universe's eternal dance._

Natsu beamed up at his father, certain that he'd remembered it word for word. The Fire Dragon dipped his head in acknowledgment. "Very good. I... honestly did not think that you would remember my favorite."

Natsu laughed. "Of course I remembered it, Dad! We wrote it together, I'll never forget it." Then he noticed something weird in the air, and sniffed. The pinkette's expression changed from happiness to horror. "And everybody heard it..." He glared right at the bushes where they were hiding. "Alright. You can come out and make fun of me now."

Lucy jumped out first in indignation while the others walked out more slowly, picking leaves off their clothes. "Why would we make fun of you?" She demanded. "That was amazing!"

Natsu crossed his arms and looked away. "You don't have to lie. I'm not that good." The light blush adorning his cheeks proved that he was embarrassed by praise, not really convinced he was bad, just not good enough to deserve being called amazing.

Erza gave him a dark look. "If you degrade your singing ability one more time I will have you go up in front of the entire guild and have you sing there, so that you get over these ridiculous notions of yours."

The threat clearly terrified Natsu. He paled and took two steps backward. "L-look. I just sing for Igneel. It wasn't intentional that you heard it at all. Can we just forget this?" His tone was one of desperate pleading.

Igneel gave Natsu a long look. His little pyromaniac clearly didn't like the idea of showing his talent to a crowd. And even if the Fire Dragon approved of the 'Fly or Fall' method of parenting, forcing him to show something that was special to him to a lot of people was a little cruel.

But Igneel also wanted the world to know how amazing his son was. Getting this shy over showing his singing to people he cared deeply about was just silly. "Natsu."

The Fire Dragon Slayer turned in surprise. His foster-father rarely called him by name. But when he did, it was always important. "What, Dad?"

"They are suggesting something a bit extreme." Igneel paused. "But they have a point. You ought to sing more often, and to more people than just me. You love to do it, I know that much. Not allowing yourself to do something that you love to do is absurd." The Fire Dragon let this have a moment to sink in, than went on. "So start off a little slower. Maybe choose a couple other people to listen that you trust. Then once you're comfortable with singing with them around, try with a few more. Then a few more, and so on. Until you are used to it enough to get up and sing for your guild."

Natsu nodded in understanding, and the rest of the group stared. They'd only seen Igneel act silly during the flight or violently irritable when chained. But now they could see the powerful, wise and kind dragon that Natsu described to them a hundred thousand times over. It amazed them the anybody could be that wonderful. But they supposed that it would take a strong, kind and powerful person to earn obedience and respect from Natsu. He was a bit of a loose cannon at times.

So that Igneel had such total devotion from Natsu was a testament to him. To gain control over the pinkette without force was like catching sunlight, and he had done it. The only other person that Natsu obeyed without question was the Master, and they knew what kind of person the Master was.

So as the moon sat high above their heads, they gained a sense of awe for the great vermilion beast who held sunlight gently in his claws. And they knew in that moment that they would never see another like him. At least, if they were lucky, until Natsu grew up.

* * *

**I am pond scum. I hate my stupid brain. I wanted so desperately to give you a song, and it ended up taking an entire extra week to write out properly. *Goes into the depression corner* I'm a terrible person... If only I was better at writing...**


	7. Chapter 7: A Short Talk

**Same format as last time: I have no plan, so I'm going to put down as much random shit as I can. And I'm sorry if I come across a little grating in this chapter, I pulled something in my left hand and injured my right wrist. It kinda hurts to type. I must be insane to be doing this anyway. Sheesh, I just can't stand the thought of letting you guys down, can I?**

* * *

In the morning, Gildarts was the first human to stir. He sat up with a start at the fact that he seemed to be seeing red, than relaxed when he remembered that they'd all ended up camping under Igneel's wings. The party had left their supplies on the boat that they'd come on, and Igneel had absolutely refused to go back for them. He did not want to be cold again.

_It is pretty comfy under here. _Gildarts smiled. He had himself wrapped up in a cloak, but had had to take off the parka. The amount of bodily heat that the Fire Dragon produced was amazing.

Igneel's scales were also surprisingly soft. Apparently, it was a weird surface tension thing. When you leaned against them, they bent slightly. But if you tried to punch them, they locked into a hard surface. He'd invited a skeptical Erza to try, and she'd come away with dents in her gauntlets. Igneel hadn't even flinched. Everyone had to give him credit for that.

The interesting part? One of the scales had shattered. But there was another one under it. Apparently, dragons had an outer and an inner layer of scales. The outer layer was diamond-hard, but also had some easy breaking points. They were dead scales, with next to no power in them. The inner layer was alive. It was three times stronger than the outer one, and was also able to be reinforced consciously by him infusing those scales with more of his magic. The fact that they were alive meant that they didn't break cleanly at any point. It also meant that it hurt when someone did break them, but Igneel had been explicit about the fact that if you weren't either a Dragon or a Dragon Slayer, breaking live scales took an enormous amount of power.

Gildarts flipped from his side onto his back. After Natsu's song, and the way that Igneel had shown his wisdom, they had all wanted to know more about him. They'd learned an incredible amount about dragons. That Dragon Slayers chipped in from time to time with nuggets of information that Igneel had either forgotten or passed over out of disinterest.

Possibly the most interesting part was the explanation of the motion sickness. Dragon and Dragon Slayer magic was filled with chaos, so when they were powerful enough, it began to leak and upset their sense of equilibrium. Wendy would never get it because Sky Dragon Slayer magic was tilted towards harmony and healing, and Natsu got it early because fire is an extremely volatile element. Igneel said that the reason that dragons didn't get sick during flight and the Slayers didn't get sick on their Exceeds was that life energy is naturally chaotic, and so using something alive as transportation allowed their magic to sync with it instead of clashing against the rigid order of, say, the train's movement. Erza, Gray and Lucy apparently got sick during the flight due to the fact that Igneel was recovering his magic power at such a tremendous rate that he leaked some chaos energy. The Slayers were immune for obvious reasons and the Exceeds had built up an immunity due to being around the Slayers 24/7.

But Gildarts had interested Igneel. He wasn't around the Slayers quite that often, and he definitely wasn't one himself. The Fire Dragon had been forced to draw the impressive conclusion that he had so much raw magical energy that a little chaos was rendered irrelevant. The Crash Mage grinned to himself. Impressing Natsu's foster-father was a good feeling. Igneel himself was so incredible, that him acknowledging you made you feel like you were powerful too.

Gildarts flipped over with a sigh. He wasn't going to get back to sleep. He was too restless for that. So the Crash mage crawled out, only to shield his eyes against the sun with a groan of annoyance. By how high the sun was, he'd guess that it was... Ten in the morning? Sheesh, they'd stayed up really late, hadn't they?

He heard a soft chuckle. "Hey look, it's a early bird. Now, where did I put that worm?" Gildarts glanced up to see that Igneel was tilting his head slightly downwards and towards him.

Gildarts huffed and sat down, crossing both his legs and his arms. "I don't want a worm, I want _food!" _He snapped. "I'm kind of hungry, since we don't have any supplies!"

The large dragon blew out a soft puff of smoke. "If you think that I'm going back there, you're insane." His tone was mild, but Gildarts and the others had quickly learned when Igneel was playing, and when he was stating a fact. Currently, he was telling Gildarts that thinking he would go back for the sake of mere supplies was ridiculous.

Gildarts leaned back with a sigh. "I know, I know. Sorry for snapping at you. I just want food. We had to hike a ways to get to you, then the dragonback ride..." He trailed off.

"Well, the little Sky Dragon Slayer should be recovered by today. If she casts Vernier on me, then I should be able to get you back to your guild by tomorrow morning." The Fire Dragon gave a short laugh at the dumbstruck look on Gildarts face. "Of course, I'll be completely exhausted, and will likely collapse again. But you do need to eat."

"How is that even possible?" The Crash Mage demanded. "It took us three weeks to get here! On a powered boat, no less."

"Dragon wings are amazing things. The muscles have atrophied over the years, but I have replenished my magic to a reasonable degree. Partly because of time, and partly because my little pyro has become such a powerful mage." A softness entered the dragon's eyes. "He takes after his parents in so many ways..."

Gildarts jerked upright. "What did you say?!" He nearly yelled, but remembered in time that the others were still sleeping.

The Fire Dragon realized with a sense of dread that he'd actually said that out loud instead of just thinking it. _Oh hell. This is going to be interesting to explain... _"I said that he takes after his parents. Is there something wrong with that?"

The Crash Mage jumped to his feet. "That you used the plural! You _knew _Natsu's real parents?!"

Igneel narrowed his eyes at Gildarts. "I'm as real a parent to him as any." He hissed.

Gildarts shook his head. "That's not what I meant! I mean, you knew his biological parents? Who are they? Where are they? Why the _hell _haven't you told Natsu?"

"To answer your questions in order: Yes. I'm not telling you that until I've told Natsu. That either. And he was twelve years old, I didn't think that he was mature enough yet to handle the story. I will tell him soon now, but nobody gets to know before he does. I think that's fair. Satisfied?"

Gildarts relaxed his stance. _As long as he tells Natsu soon, I'm not going to force him. I wonder why he wouldn't be mature enough, though. Just telling him who his parents are isn't exactly going to be a traumatic experience. _"Natsu's not going to be happy when he finds out that you knew and didn't tell him." Gildarts warned.

The Fire Dragon groaned. "I know that. He's going to yell at me a lot. And possibly ignore me for a few days. He'll forgive me eventually, though." He paused. "At least, I hope he will."


	8. A Chapter Where Nothing Really Happens

**Wow... There 58 people following this. *Freaks out* How the heck did ****_that _****happen!? I'm not even a good writer. I make grammar mistakes sometimes. I'm unreliable, often having to shift the update to Monday. Once it took me an entire extra week to update! Hell, I was stupid enough to get my hands injured so that you were without story for two weeks. My plot is sketchy at best, and my longest chapter is only 2,780 words... *Droops* Go read something better... like Under The Flames, that's damned awesome. Way better writing than me. I will never compare. But if you really have nothing better to read, I'll try to put out something half decent. If I can.**

**One last thing: I apologize for my big brother's language. He was pretty nasty to you.**

* * *

Once everyone was awake and fully packed, Igneel gestured towards himself with his tail. "Alright. Get on, we have a long flight. We need to get started right away." He spoke crisply and with no hesitation.

Gray crossed his arms. "Look. No offense, but I'm not getting on again. Ever."

Igneel tilted his head at the Ice Make Mage. "You do know that Natsu has it just as bad whenever he gets on a boat, don't you? And yet he can stand a three week long boat ride, whereas you can't take riding for a mere twenty-four hours or so? I thought that you and Natsu were supposed to have about equal endurance." He paused. "Then again, I suppose that determination and endurance are different things. I mean, you can't even work up the courage to get on in the first place."

Gray's hands balled into fists. "Like hell I can't!" He snapped. "I can do whatever Flamebrain can!" The Ice Make Wizard began hauling himself up Igneel's side, had over hand.

Lucy's jaw dropped. _Not only is Igneel incredibly powerful, but really smart! He used Gray's pride to make him get on, after only knowing him for a day._

"What are you waiting for, Lucy? We need to get back to the guild." Erza tilted her head at Lucy from Igneel's back.

_It worked on Erza too!? _The Celestial Mage sweatdropped. "Look, Igneel," She began. "I can't stand that motion sickness again. I'm sorry, but I just can't. No offense. I just don't have as much strength as Natsu, or Gray, or Erza to endure it. Is there something else that I could do?" She looked up at him hopefully.

The Fire Dragon regarded her with interest. _Hm. She's a smart one. And knows her limits, which is surprisingly rare. Honesty and bravery is shown in that she was willing to admit it. Either that, or it was weakness in that she didn't want to try to endure it. Or it always could be that she's underestimating herself. Putting all of that aside, I suppose that she deserves an honest answer to an honest question. _"No, there isn't. We need to get back to your guild for food, and my flight is the fastest way to do that. Now. The sooner that we start, the sooner that it will end. Get on." His tone was firm, but not unkind.

Lucy sighed and looked up, then began the long climb up Igneel's tail. _This is going to be a long flight._

* * *

They were all flying along smoothly, though Wendy was straining slightly with the effort of keeping Vernier up for three hours. The Exceeds flew on their own as often as they could, but Pantherlily was the only one who could keep up like that for more than five minutes. This was due to the fact that Igneel refused to slow down even fractionally for them.

Despite being rather hungry, though, the passengers were enjoying the ride. Since so much of Igneel's magic was back, Gray, Lucy and Erza didn't have motion sickness too badly. Gildarts and the Dragon Slayers found it exhilarating to have the wind rushing past their faces at such an amazing rate. This was without the fact Igneel would occasionally do a trick to make Natsu laugh. It always worked. The Fire Dragon Slayer's whoops of delight made even Gray manage a sickly smirk.

The tricks also broke the consistent pressure of the wind. This pleased Lucy, as she was certain that this was going to give her premature wrinkles.

But other than Natsu's cheerful laughter and the whistling of the wind past their ears, there was no sound. Nobody talked, and they all kept their eyes closed. and over time, those closed eyes developed into sleep. By the time the moon was rising over the horizon, the only one awake was the scarlet dragon silhouetted against the night sky.

* * *

**Sorry, sorry, sorry! I make you wait so long, and all that I can manage is this lousy transition chapter...**


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